Breaking taboos : the power of group work for first-generation scholars

Collectively reflecting on the call for papers for this special edition of Social Work with Groups served as a reminder for us that groups form in many ways. It also reminded us that what brings people together may be a topical matter and what holds groups together is finding a meaningful bond, a relationship. Our group: Turner (a newly minted PhD faculty), Pelts (a doctoral candidate) and Thompson (a midprogram doctoral student), originally formed to discuss overlapping research interests. We quickly realized that the common bond that connected us was our identities as first-generation scholars (FGS). Over several months, through the regaling of our academic journeys, a collective transformative experience happened. In this narrative, our stories as FGS became the backdrop of our group experience. In the unpacking and reflecting on our group experience, we allowed space for creative work beyond the “real work,” avoiding what Malekoff (2001) refers to as “spiritual incarceration” (p. 255). It is here we seek to uncover the value of the social work group experience as a tool for FGS success.